Dune Brittlestem
Psathyrella ammophila
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) noah_siegel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by noah_siegel
Overview
Psathyrella ammophila is a species of fungus in the family Psathyrellaceae and is found throughout Europe. Commonly known as the dune brittlestem, this agaric primarily grows on sand dunes near marram grass, feeding saprotrophically on the decaying roots. In the Northern hemisphere, the season of growth is generally May to November.
The Dune Brittlestem faces severe decline due to coastal habitat destruction and fragmentation from urban development, tourism infrastructure, and sea-level rise. Its highly specialized dune ecosystem requirements make it extremely vulnerable to disturbance, with remaining populations increasingly isolated and small.
Habitat
Psathyrella ammophila has a wide but sparse distribution throughout the European continent and in limited coastal locations outside Europe, with records of collection in Algeria, New Zealand, and Canada. It can sometimes be found near the shoreline, inside the littoral zone, but is most often encountered in more stable and established sand dunes and dune slacks inland. The presence of marram...
Other threatened species in Psathyrellaceae
Frequently asked questions
Why is Dune Brittlestem classified as Endangered?
Where does Dune Brittlestem live?
What are the main threats to Dune Brittlestem?
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